Hidden MSG in My Favorite Cooking Base

The day I realized my beloved Better Than Bouillon was not a “clean,” MSG free, flavor enhancer wasn’t the happiest of days in my kitchen. After deciding the taste was too good to be true I decided to take a closer look. On the surface, the ingredients look innocent enough,

and at first glance, the promises on the label seem encouraging:

“Better Than Bouillon concentrated bases are made from meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables. This gives them a richer, more robust flavor than ordinary bouillons. No added MSG, low or no fat, lower sodium: Better Than Bouillon bases have 1/3 less salt than ordinary bouillons.”

But being the “label nazi” that I am, some of the ingredients just didn’t sit well with me. Five stood out in particular,

After a bit of research, I stumbled upon two sites that helped me decide that this product did NOT belong in my kitchen. Food Renegade spelled it out very plainly; this product is full of hidden MSG. In fact, 4 out of 5 of the ingredients that I had questions about either produce or always contain MSG according to their source Truth in Labeling. And the corn syrup solids? Well, we all know the deal with that; admittedly, I tried to ignore this ingredient when I bought the stuff.

If you’re cleaning up your diet, but bouillon is still one if your kitchen staples, or just something you reach for from time,to time, you might be wondering what can I use instead? A great alternative is a homemade vegetable bouillon, a bone broth or a combination of both; which is what I like to cook with. Both add great flavor and are relatively easy to make.